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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28166529">13 Reasons Why</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DylanJ10000/pseuds/DylanJ10000'>DylanJ10000</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>13 Reasons Why (TV), IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King, Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>13 Reasons Why au, Bullying, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mentions of Suicide, No beta we die like mene, Some tags will come later, Suicide, much later, obviously TRIGGER WARNING if you don't know the content of 13RW</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:01:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,762</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28166529</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DylanJ10000/pseuds/DylanJ10000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben Hanscom receives a box of 7 tapes. Upon listening to them, he finds that his recently-dead friend, Beverly Marsh, is the author. 13 sides to the story of her death, and he's on them.</p><p>BASED ON THE NETFLIX SHOW, "13 Reasons Why"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>13 Reasons Why</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ben Hanscom finds a box of cassette tapes at his front door. Little does he know, they're gonna change his entire life forever.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a quick heads-up. This concept has been floating in my head for a bit of time, and I had this all written down before life got busy again. I'll pick it back up eventually, but, until then, here's a 'prologue' of sorts.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben opens his locker, aware of the murmurs in the hall from everyone. He figures it’s because of all the new posters littering the walls of Derry High. He looks to his right, looking down the hall, between the crowds, at <em> her </em>locker. Beverly. He almost swears he sees her nearby, standing with a group of girls. She turns to wave to him, and, in an instant, she’s gone. As the second bell rings, he walks over to her locker, as the students begin to file to class. He stands there for a moment, gazing at her picture, surrounded by the various cards and flowers that now adorn the locker.</p><p>“What the fuck are you doing?”, a voice asks, and he turns to find a disheveled Eddie Kaspbrak, resident Derry High track-star, scowling. Ben’s a bit put-off by this interaction. “Nothing”, he says, “I’m just-”. Eddie cuts him off pretty quickly. “-looking for something?”, the boy asks, to Ben’s confusion. <em> What? </em> Ben thinks to himself. “What would I be looking for, exactly?”, he asks. Kaspbrak lets out a soft scoff. “You tell me”, he says nastily. Ben blinks at this response. “Do you even know my name?”, he asks seriously, wondering if he has him confused with somebody else. “‘Course I do, Ben”, Eddie says, before his eyes go dark, “You’re not that innocent, Hanscom. I don’t give a fuck <em> what she says </em>”. They’re interrupted by Mr. Gray, the new guidance counselor.</p><p>“Guys. Second bell”, Gray says, “Mr. Kaspbrak, let’s go. You too, Mr. Hanscom”. Ben nods, ignoring the look directed at him by Eddie, as he makes his way to his first period. The day goes by fairly uneventfully, save for an embarrassing moment in his first period, when he was thinking about the last time he’d seen the girl, and when her parents showed up to clear her locker. He’s getting ready to leave when a honk sounds beside him. </p><p>He turns to see Adrian Mellon, rolling up in his shiny-red Mustang. “Ben”, he says, “Need a ride?”. Ben smiles at his friend. “Please, and thank you”, he says, gratefully throwing his bike into the trunk of the car. “Wanna listen to a new tape?”, Adrian asks, holding up a new cassette tape he seems to have made. <em> Joy Division </em> . “Sure”, Ben agrees, “Still on the old media?”. Adrian chuckles, as <em> Atmosphere </em> begins to play. “Uh, yeah, dude”, he says, “It’s so much better”. Ben’s smile slips away, and his face gains a more wistful look. “Everything was better before”, he says quietly. He begins to think back to the year before, when he’d first gotten his job at the Capitol Theatre...</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“...Like so”, the redheaded girl says as she shows him how to butter the popcorn, “Now, if they ask if it’s real butter, what do you say?”. She turns to him, a gleam in her eye. “A butter-based product”, he recites from memory. She smiles, and Ben can feel himself just about melt like butter, just seeing it. “Make sure you smile when you say it”, she says, “I know, terrifying. But, it sells the big lie”. She turns to put the bucket of popcorn into a warming container, before grabbing another bucket, and looks back to him. “Oh, and, uh, little trade secret: If they’re cute, only put butter on top”, she says, “so they have to come back for more during the movie”. He looks at her, brow raised. “Okay, uh, why?”, he asks. She smirks at him, the gleam in her eye, once again. “So you can chat ‘em up, of course”, she says, “But I have a feeling chat’s not really your thing”.</p><p>“It isn’t”, Ben agrees. Beverly puts on a full smile, and even giggles a bit. “I like it”, she says, “I think we’re gonna get along. As long as you remember I started here three weeks before you, and I, therefore, have seniority, which is why I’m training you”. She begins to take the stale boxes of candy from behind the counter, making a tower out of it. “Which is insane, if you think about it, because I just moved here two months ago, and I have no idea what I’m doing”, she admits. She looks at him. “Do you like it here?”, she asks. He looks around. “At The Capitol? I find the various smells just <em> fascinating </em> ”. She laughs at that pretty hard. “No, I meant this town”. His face heats up, slightly embarrassed. “Oh, right, uh”, he says, “I don’t really have anything to compare it to, I guess? I moved here when I was five, and I barely remember anything before that”. She looks at him, as if asking him to continue. “It’s kind of like asking Han Solo <em> How is space? </em>” She gawks. “Oh my god, you’re, like, an actual nerd, aren’t you?”, she teases, “I admire that. There’s courage in being a nerd”.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ben’s pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a car honking, as they turn onto his street. Adrian pulls into the driveway of the two-story Hanscom residence. “I’ll catch you later, dude”, Adrian says. Ben nods, waving as he reaches the steps to the porch. As he turns towards the front door, he notices something in front of it. A wrapped delivery, about the size of a shoebox. Ben takes it inside, unwrapping it on the kitchen counter. It’s a set of skillfully-decorated tapes, numbered one through thirteen. He can smell the blue nail polish that was probably used to write the numbers on. He takes the box up to his room, before heading down to the basement, in search of his dad’s old boombox. He finds it pretty quickly, before heading back up to his room to pop the first tape in.</p><p>
  <em> Hey. It’s Bev. Beverly Marsh. </em>
</p><p>“What the hell…?”, Ben asks himself.</p><p>
  <em> Don’t adjust your… whatever thing you're hearing this on. It’s me, live and in-stereo. No return engagements, no encore, and this time, absolutely no requests. So, get a snack, settle in. Because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to this tape… You’re one of the reasons why. Now, I’m not saying which tape is gonna bring you into the story. But, fear not, if you’ve received this lovely little box, your name will pop up. I promise. Now, why would the dead girl lie? Hey! That sounds like a joke! Why would the dead girl lie? Answer: Because she can’t stand up! </em>
</p><p>Ben hears the ghostly voice snort, and he can't help but feel his stomach retch.</p><p>
  <em>Go ahead, laugh. No? Welp, I thought it was funny. </em>
</p><p>Ben stopped the tape. He couldn’t listen to this out loud. If this was, indeed, what Bev was saying it was, he needed something else. So, he sneaks back down the staircase, careful to avoid any conversation with his already-overinvolved mother, and slips out the door. From there, he bikes across town to the Mellon house, where he finds Adrian and Mr. Mellon working on the ‘Stang. “Hey, Adrian. I, uh, was wondering if I could borrow something from you?”, Ben asks. Adrian looks up, pleased to see his friend dropping by. “Sure, Ben. What can I do you for?”, he asks. Ben glances into the interior of the Mustang, eyeing the Walkman in the cupholders.</p><p>“I was wondering if I could borrow the Walkman?”, Ben asks, “Mom found a bunch of her old cassettes, and wanted me to ask you if she could borrow it for a few days”. Adrian looks at him, or, to be more accurate, right through the lie. At least, that’s what Ben thinks, before he’s being handed the Walkman. “Sure thing”, Adrian says, “Just tell your mom to not get too crazy with it, alright?”. Ben nods, looking at the Mustang. “Sure”, he says, “So, what’s up with her?”. Mr. Mellon looks up, a displeased look on his face. “Something’s come loose in the motor”, he says, “One of the only downsides to putting this engine together from spare parts”. Adrian looks at Ben, before holding the keys up in his hand. “You mind trying to start the car for me?”. Ben takes them, getting into the driver’s seat, and giving them a turn. The engine roars happily. “<em> That’s </em>how it’s supposed to sound!”, Mr. Mellon exclaims joyfully, “I’ll leave you guys to it, then”. Ben wave the man goodbye, and Adrian asks, “You wanna stay for dinner?”. Ben shakes his head. “Mom’s already got dinner in the oven, and you know how she is”.</p><p>With that, he bids Adrian goodbye, and, once he’s around the corner, pops the tape into the Walkman.</p><p>
  <em> Anyway, the rules here are pretty simple. There are only two. Rule number one: You listen. Rule number two: You pass ‘em on. Hopefully, neither one will be easy for you. If I wanted it to be easy, I would’ve emailed you an mp3. When you’re done listening to all thirteen sides - because there are thirteen sides to every story - rewind the tapes, put them back into the box, and send them off to the next person. Oh, and the box of tapes should’ve included a map. I’ll be mentioning several spots around our lovely little town. I can’t force you to visit them, but, if you’d like more insight, head for the stars. Or, y’know, just throw the map away and I’ll never know. Or will I?  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> You see, in case you’re tempted to break the rules, understand that I did make copies of the tapes. I’ve left them with a trusted individual, who, should this package not make it through the entirety of you, has been instructed to release these copies in a very public manner.  </em>
</p><p>Ben’s attention on the recording is taken away by the honking of a car horn, and he looks ahead, out of his daze, to find himself veering into oncoming traffic. He jolts his bike harshly to the left, sending him right into the front end of an early-2000’s Honda. He goes flying, as does the Walkman, and he lands hard on the pavement. He blinks his eyes through the pain, feeling it very intensely in his forehead. He checks it, and, sure enough, there’s blood. He turns his attention towards the Walkman, which, thankfully, escaped the accident unscathed. He picks up one of his earbuds, and puts it in his ear.</p><p>
  <em> Don’t take me for granted. Not again. Just do what I say. Nothing more, nothing less. You’re being watched. </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As Hannah Baker, and now Beverly Marsh, once did, I'm not gonna reveal who's gonna be on the tapes. However, you should be able to figure it out via context clues from chapters preceeding.</p><p>Take this prologue, for example. You should be able to infer who's on Tape 1, Side A.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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